Supreme State Prosecutor not convinced by plan aimed at clamping down on
reckless drivers and repeat offenders

The country’s supreme state prosecutor, Pavel Zeman, has made clear he
does not think that the more broadly applied confiscation of vehicles from
drivers caught behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs would offer
long-term solutions. On Thursday, he voiced approval instead for stiffer
penalties for repeat offenders, including jail sentences and mandatory
rehab for substance abuse. The supreme state prosecutor was reacting to a
plan floated earlier this week by the interior and justice ministers to try
and clamp down on reckless drivers. Both would like see courts order the
confiscation of vehicles more often than is currently the case, as
punishment as well as a deterrent. Mr Zeman expressed skepticism over the
idea, suggesting solutions needed to vary from case-to-case, and would not
be effective across the board.

Value of public contracts grows by 43 percent in H1

The value of public contracts in the Czech Republic between January and
June 2014 year-on-year increased by 43 percent to 191 billion crowns the
Czech News Agency reported Thursday – citing analysis by CEEC Research.
According to the news agency, three major contracts by CEPRO – active in
the transportation, distribution and storage of oil products – had the
largest impact on growth, valued at 88.4 billion alone. The number of
public contracts in the January-June period was listed at 5,960. The amount
of new public tenders, meanwhile, was 4,330 – a rise of 20 percent.
Public contracts have reportedly increased most in the construction sector,
which saw growth after five years.

Czech police issued hollow-point ammunition

Czech police officers have been issued hollow-point bullets, the news
website idnes.cz reported on Thursday. This type of ammunition was
previously used only by an emergency response team but has been issued to
all police officers; a spokeswoman for the national police command said
that while more devastating for the target, hollow-point ammunition was
safer as it is remains inside the target and does not put others at risk.
It is also more effective in shooting tires in pursuits of vehicles,
according to the police.

PM shrugs off president’s criticism of compromise on civil service bill

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has shrugged off criticism by President
Miloš Zeman over a compromise reached with part of the opposition on a
civil service bill. The president slammed the government for dropping the
idea of a new bureau, including a so-called super bureaucrat to head it, to
oversee the state administration, suggesting the bill would not be
effective. The prime minister said that while the president had the right
to his own opinion, he was not about to scupper a proposal which had
backing from some 150 MPs in the Chamber of Deputies. The new civil service
law, which should reduce corruption and depoliticize the state
administration, is regarded as long overdue.

Czech economy stagnated in Q2

The Czech economy stagnated in the second quarter of this year compared to
the previous quarter, according to figures by the Czech Statistics Office
released on Thursday. Compared to the same period last year, the economy
recorded a 2.6 percent growth. Most analysts expected a 0.3 growth in the
second quarter but the statistics office said a drop in tobacco excise tax
was behind the stagnation, with people massively stocking up on cigarettes
and other tobacco products before the end of last year.

New legislation to speed up infrastructure projects

The president on Wednesday signed a bill aiming to speed up transport,
water and energy infrastructure projects under which the state will be able
to increase the estimated price of agricultural and forest land for road
and motorway construction up to sixteen-fold. The bill should able the
state to more quickly reach deals with landowners by being able to
compensate them more generously for their property. In the past, the Czech
Republic saw the building of new infrastructure halted for years as
landowners held out for better deals – a case in point being the halting
of the D11 highway to Hradec Králové.

Owners who decide to sell agricultural land stand to receive 535 crowns
per square metre as a bonus on top of the price set by specialists. Now
they get double the estimated price, between eight and 35 crowns per square
metre of agricultural land. The amendment to the law on agriculture,
including the law on the State Agricultural Intervention Fund, corresponds
with changes to the Common Agricultural Policy and also modifies land use
and registration, Mr Zeman's spokesman Jiri Ovčáček said.

Conservatives, extremists, plan to hold protest on day of Prague Pride
parade

Conservatives but also members of extremist groups are reportedly planning
to turn up on Saturday at Prague’s Wenceslas Square to actively
demonstrate against the Prague Pride Festival which celebrates GLBT
culture. No such demonstration, however, has been given approval by the
city, according to the Czech News Agency. Prague Pride wraps up on Saturday
with a parade from the centre of the city to Prague’s Letná Park. It is
estimated that up to 20,000 people could take part. Several hundred police
will monitor the route of the parade to try and prevent any incidents.
Conservatives groups have consistently slammed the festival since it began
four years ago, alleging it went against ‘family values’ and that
participants were‘deviants’.

Civic Democrats take up new headquarters in city centre

The opposition Civic Democrats have rented andbegun moving to a new party
headquarters in the Prague city centre, from its previous office at
Pankrác plain. The 700 square metre space, complete with a downstairs
reception area, and work areas for some 20 head office employees, will cost
the party almost 200,000 crowns per month. The lease signed is for a
three-year period, but the head of the right-wing party, Petr Fiala, made
clear he hoped the site would be home to the Civic Democrats for longer.
The party rented its former headquarters at Pankrác for five years. The
new office will come into regular use in September.

Pet Shop Boys play Prague

The British duo Pet Shop Boys performed to a crowd of 2,000 at Prague’s
multi-purpose Forum Karlin on Wednesday as part of their Electric World
Tour as well as this year’s Prague Pride Festival – celebrating LGBT
culture. The duo performed well-known hits dating back to the 1980s and
1990s as well as material of off their latest album, titled Electric. The
opening band was Cartonnage. The Pet Shop Boys have performed in the Czech
capital on numerous occasions; they first played Prague in 1991.

Czech chefs win prestigious culinary competition

Two Czech chefs, Jan Davídek and Antonín Bradáč, have won the
international competition known as the Thailand Culinary Challenge. The
duo, who went by the team name of Czech Chefs and were the only European
representatives to compete, beat other elite teams from countries including
China, South Korea, the USA, and Malaysia. The top prize was 10 thousand US
dollars. The competition took place over two days, with the chefs preparing
national cuisine on the first day, and Thai cuisine on the second.